Brighton Brotherly Church bombing

The Brighton Brotherly Church bombing was a domestic terrorist attack that occurred on 15 September 1988 in Brighton, London. The Moroccan Islamic Jihad committed a bomb attack on a church with the hopes of killing many churchgoers, and 12 people were killed.

Background
The Moroccan Islamic Jihad, founded in 1972, sought to fight foreigners abroad and convert the world to Islam. The group eventually expanded its operations to foreign countries, and London was one of its major hubs. Based in the mosque in Trafalgar Square (built by the Muslim Indian population), the MIJ incited gun violence against Christians and non-Muslims, starting their terrorist streak,

In 1988, the organization decided to launch their breakthrough attack, one that would give them international attention. Four Moroccan men, namely Abu Said al-Magrebi, Omar Baitullah Sheikh, Saad bin Hamad, and Khalif al-Senussi, were dispatched with bombs to destroy the Brighton Brotherly Church in London during a Sunday mass ceremony. They arrived early, planting bombs in the cellar beneath the church, and waited in a nearby park to watch the events.

Bombing
The bombs went off at 10:12 AM during the morning mass. Al-Maghrebi detonated the bomb via remote control, causing a chain reaction. The door and ground were splintered and destroyed, and one person in the streets was killed by the debris. 11 people in the church were killed in all, and the Moroccans attempted to escape in a getaway vehicle driven by an acquaintance of theirs, Amir Yusuf al-Sahrawi. However, the Metropolitan Police caught up to them near Hyde Park and they were arrested.

Aftermath
The four defendants were sentenced to life sentences in prison in a fair trial, all of them accused of domestic terrorism and mass murder. However, Baitullah Sheikh attempted to escape prison and was gunned down in 1992. Al-Maghrebi died in 1991, Bin Hamad in 1996, and al-Senussi in 2004.